El Jefe

When I got home tonight, I was talking with Silvia about the days of the week in Spanish, and I was getting really confused. I thought my words for the days of the week were wrong, but it turns out that actually, I was completely confused about what day it is. I thought it was either tuesday or possibly wednesday, and was stunned to find out it’s already thursday night. Cray Mexican weeks with only five days in them.

Bought an umbrella from Sanborn’s after getting caught in a downpour a few days ago. Glad I had it today, been kind of a rainy last few days. Apparently as we get into spring and early summer, it will rain nearly daily in the afternoon/evenings.

Working at the office today, I saw a woman I hadn’t seen before, and with a second look, I realized it was Tatiana, the woman whose name is on the door, back from her trip to Europe. She came over and I introduced myself, and she seemed to know who I was and what I was doing. She made a short speech to the office, reporting on what is going on in Europe, how projects are going, etc, and apologized to me for talking in Spanish. That says a lot to me.

At any rate, I wish I’d known she was returning today and I might have worn something a little spiffier. As it was, I was wearing my usual office attire- black mid-top sneakers, slim jeans, tailored fit button down shirt, untucked. A shave wouldn’t have hurt. Or some freaking slacks. Shoes are a tricky issue considering I’m walking 3 miles a day through some really filthy and broken sidewalks and grungy streets.

From my office, I also got a great view of the marchers on Paseo de la Reforma. The federal government is attempting to institute some reforms in the public education system, and is meeting staunch opposition from the incredibly powerful teacher’s union. By “staunch opposition," I mean that in some southern Mexican states, the teachers are rioting, breaking windows of buildings, and setting things on fire.

Now, normally, I’m sympathetic to the left, but this state of affairs is criminal. 1) Mexico has one of the worst public education systems IN LATIN AMERICA. I’ve heard that in general, the schools focus on rote memorization and apparently there is very little in the way of problem-solving. UNAM, the country’s national university, made the list of the top 200 universities in the world. They are ranked #190. Mexico and Mexican children deserve better. They’re going to need better.

2) The teachers union is one of the most powerful unions in the country. This would be great if their teachers were worth a damn, but as it stands, they use their power to maintain the status quo and block reform and progress.

3) What’s so bad about the system? Why does it need reforming anyway? In Mexico, there are a limited number of spaces for teachers. Once you’re a teacher, you’re a teacher for life. It’s apparently damned near impossible to be fired. You can pass your teaching position along to your children, or you can sell it, very much like the British system of Lordships. As you can imagine, with no standard for qualifications, no required training or learning updates, and a guaranteed gravy train, you end up with a nation of teachers which are unqualified and unmotivated.